by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports

by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia - Not long after Mikaela Shiffrin became the youngest woman to win an Olympic gold in slalom she paused to consider how her life might change.

"Maybe it won't change too much, maybe it will just change in the way I want it to change," she said. "I'm going to still be the same girl and still be looking for speed on the mountain."

Undoubtedly so. But Shiffrin's life is about to change in other significant ways. At 18, and as poised as she is talented, Shiffrin is a marketer's dream, experts say.

"She could become the Golden Girl of the Winter Games," said Bob Dorfman, executive creative director at Baker Street Advertising, who analyzes athletes' endorsement potential. "She could be a major story for the next two to three Winter Games. Marketers are always looking for athletes with staying power â?? especially in the case of Olympians, with their 'one month on, four years off' story arcs."

Mike Jaquet, chief marketing officer of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, expects the same. "America, if they don't already know who she is, will fall in love with her," Jaquet said between slalom runs. "She could really become a powerful figure coming out of here for sure."

At 18, she is 11 years younger than Lindsey Vonn, who missed these Games following her latest knee surgery. Vonn will be back next season and though they don't compete in the same events, they will be inexorably linked.

"It could make for a very interesting 'Shiffrin vs. Vonn' battle for the 2018 Games in South Korea," Dorfman said.

Given Vonn has dominated the marketplace with heavy hitter sponsors such as Under Armour and Red Bull, will there be room for Shiffrin, who has deals with Barilla and P&G and is marketed more in Europe than she is at home?

Peter Carlisle, the head of Octagon's Olympics division, has been down this road before as the agent for Michael Phelps. When the world wanted to make the inevitable comparisons between Phelps and Mark Spitz a decade ago, Carlisle stayed clear of that magnetic pull.

"Lindsey's success has been a benefit," Carlisle said Friday, adding that as Shiffrin's agent he no longer has to convince companies that they can market an alpine skier for the next 10 years.

However, given Vonn's star power, and her famous boyfriend, is there room for two ski queens? Consider Julia Mancuso, 28, who will leave Sochi as the United States' most decorated female Olympic skier. Mancuso has skied in Vonn's shadows throughout her career, only thrust in the spotlight due to their heated rivalry and tense relationship, which is now much improved.

Considering the age difference, and the fact that they don't compete in the same events, Vonn and Shiffrin rarely interact except for supportive texts or tweets. Shiffrin is learning German because Vonn speaks German. "Everyone really respects that," she has said. She also admires how Vonn holds her identity as a strong athlete but also brings what she calls a "strong feminity" to ski racing.

Vonn has said Shiffrin keeps her distance. When it's suggested that perhaps Shiffrin is a bit intimidated, or in awe, Vonn is befuddled. "I'm not very intimidating," she said.

Shiffrin goes out of her way to mention how honored she is to be in the company of her idols. She did the same at her news conference, when flanked by the silver and bronze medalists. When she was asked about being called a young Tina Maze, who dominated the World Cup circuit last year, she respectfully talked about how "amazing" the comparisons are. Then, she brought up the skier, who was thousands of miles away but never far from consciousness.

"People have said I'm the next Lindsey Vonn several times, it's the same thing as being the young Tina Maze or whomever," she said. "It's amazing to be compared to them and I'm honored to be compared to them, but I don't want to be the young Tina Maze or the next Lindsey Vonn. I want to be Mikeala Shiffrin and hopefully this gold medal is going to prove that."

Expect Shiffrin to add one or two partnerships coming out of the Games, Carlisle said. Likely a big name apparel or electronics deal. There's also a plan in place to reach the Asian, and specifically Korean, marketplace heading into the 2018 Games.

Dorfman expects that as a gold medalist Shiffrin can add about $1 million a year in new marketing opportunities.

Is it possible for an Alpine skier to be a face of the Games? Figure skating has long been the marquee event, perpetuated by the success of American women in the Olympics. Though TV ratings still prove figure skating's draw, an ice princess is no longer the American face of the Games.

U.S. figure skating has been looking for its next Michele Kwan for the last eight years. At the 2010 Olympics, the glass slipper didn't quite fit as the American women failed to win an Olympic medal in figure skating for the first time since 1964. Once again, the U.S. women failed to medal in Sochi.

Most Olympians don't have the staying power of a Vonn, Phelps, or Apolo Ohno. So how does an athlete who competes in Europe for most of the year remain relevant in the United States between Olympiads?

"The TV presence in North America is really problematic," Jaquet said.

"Television is the name of the game and if you're not on TV, you're not a sport in America, so we made a big investment going forward."

The U.S. ski federation acquired the domestic television rights for the next three world championships, which will air on NBC or NBC Sports Network. Next year's worlds will be held in Vail, which just happens to be the hometown of Vonn and Shiffrin.

"If we can't sustain interest in Alpine skiing from the Olympics and even grow it next year then we failed, and we can't fail," Jaquet said.